HRC Blog

Post submitted by Michael Cole-Schwartz, Former HRC Director of Communications

Today the Human Rights Campaign in partnership with Electronic Arts, hosted "Full Spectrum" -- a half day symposium in New York City tackling homophobia and transphobia in gaming and brainstorming ways for the industry and advocates to make the gaming experience more representative and welcoming.

Bringing together industry professionals, gamers, media, and advocates, the event brought critical issues to light and offered a forum to share ideas about creating a more inclusive environment.

HRC's Ellen Kahn of our Family Project spoke on a panel about the consequences of hateful, anti-LGBT language -- particularly on LGBT young people -- and Deena Fidas of our workplace project presented on the business imperative to reach out to new audiences and create welcoming workplaces for LGBT employees. I was proud to participate, laying out how the political successes of our movement have been due to people telling their stories, and how that experience can inform those involved in changing the culture of gaming.

The key takeaway is that hate is not a game and HRC and EA encourage everyone involved in gaming to share their experiences -- both positive and negative -- with the hashtag #h8isnotagame. By being our authentic selves and telling the truth about our lives, we can continue to change hearts and minds.